Encounters at the Edge: When Contact Builds Bridges or Barriers in Refugee-Receiving Countries

Abstract

Policymakers often assume that interactions between host society members and immigrants will promote integration. However, scholars caution against such assumptions, considering both contact theory's optimism and group threat theory's concerns. In the present study, we examine a series of hypotheses pertaining to intergroup contact and group threat theories, utilising data collected from Istanbul, Türkiye. Ordered logistic regression models are employed to examine how contact and threat dynamics affect integration perceptions. Findings indicate that the quality and site of intergroup contact, rather than its quantity, significantly influence host community members' perceptions of refugee integration and Syrians' self-perceptions of their integration. Furthermore, threat perceptions significantly affect integration perceptions while intergroup contact moderates the impact of threat perception.